Outside the Norm
Quantified Ventures and US Forest Service Enter 5-Year Partnership to Enhance Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure and Spur Economic Development through Public-Private Collaboration; REI Co-op Commitment Unlocks Challenge Cost-Share in 2023
Update: Read about our fiscal year 2024 Forest Service projects here.
By Matt Lindsay, Vice President
A new partnership between Quantified Ventures and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service National Partnerships Office is advancing business, governance, and financing strategies for high-potential outdoor recreation and land management initiatives in and around national forests. REI Co-op’s commitment of matching support in 2023 unlocked Forest Service partnership funding for a suite of five projects in the first year of the partnership.
At the heart of this work is a new Master Challenge Cost-Share Agreement between the Forest Service and Quantified Ventures (QV) that drives public-private partnerships to accelerate the speed, scale, quality, and quantity of national forest recreation projects that improve the visitor experience and forest resilience. These partnerships are designed to address a lack of funding or appropriate governance structures that limit land managers’ ability to deliver high-quality, sustainable recreation opportunities.
To begin, the Forest Service sourced a nationwide portfolio of outdoor recreation projects that would benefit from the expert advice in conservation finance, governance, and capacity building that QV provides. Then, the Forest Service and QV categorized projects as being in an early, exploratory phase, or in a more advanced, design phase. Projects in both groups were evaluated for their potential for impact. Through this process, a suite of five national forest projects were selected to receive assistance in the exploration and design of outdoor recreation initiatives that benefit local communities and forests through sustainable conservation finance.
This year’s five selected projects are:
Cleveland National Forest, Trabuco Canyon (California)
Deschutes National Forest, Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway (Oregon)
Ocala National Forest, Ocala Springs (Florida)
Wayne National Forest, Ironton District, Lake Vesuvius Recreation Area (Ohio)
Willamette National Forest, Recreation Infrastructure Investment Project (Oregon)
To help secure sustainable revenues for the Forest Service and recreation-based economies, QV’s engagement in each project will center around one or more of the following project objectives:
Infrastructure and revenue capture
Multi-stakeholder resource management
Overuse or maintenance backlog
Rural economic development
“Outdoor recreation assets on and near our national forests enhance local economies, provide community amenities, and improve natural infrastructure,” said Nathalie Woolworth, conservation finance program manager at the Forest Service. “We look forward to building on our successful partnership with Quantified Ventures to open new pathways for conservation finance to accelerate the pace of win-win-win outdoor recreation projects.”
Overall, the American outdoor recreation economy drives hundreds of billions in annual spending, accounts for nearly 2% of U.S. gross domestic product, and supports 4.5 million jobs around the country.
“At REI Co-op, we believe time outside is fundamental to a life well lived. Every person deserves to enjoy the benefits that connecting to the outdoors brings,” said Taldi Harrison, director of government affairs at REI Co-op. “To make that a reality, we need to explore new and innovative ways to increase recreation infrastructure on our public lands. We are thrilled to provide a match that enables the Forest Service and Quantified Ventures to develop novel financing for outdoor recreation projects that provide long-term stewardship for national forests, enhance opportunities to get outdoors, and benefit communities.”
The QV-Forest Service partnership aspires to exponential impact by leveraging outcomes-based financing to catalyze cross-boundary initiatives that drive economic development, develop community recreation assets, and support forest management.
“Our team has hit the ground running and is excited to work alongside local and national partners to scale innovative finance for multi-benefit national forest outdoor recreation projects,” said Seth Brown, vice president for environment and resilience at Quantified Ventures. “QV is thrilled to work with our great partners to deliver localized solutions that diversify economies, build resilience, conserve our forests, and generate durable funding streams to make sure these natural infrastructure investments stand the test of time.”
The 5-year QV-Forest Service Master Challenge Cost-Share is building the pipeline of outdoor recreation projects ready for outcomes-based financing and private investment. Ten other national forests – beyond the 5 that the partners are working with in 2023 – have expressed interest and readiness to scope and develop projects during subsequent years. The Forest Service and Quantified Ventures are evaluating whether one or more of the existing 5 projects should continue into another phase of work during the next federal fiscal year (October 1 through September 30).
Collaboration between QV and the Forest Service predates the Master Challenge Cost-Share Agreement. The organizations have worked together for several years to benefit communities and help steward forests by bringing innovative financing and novel shared governance structures to outdoor recreation projects on and adjacent to national forests.
Two noteworthy examples of these efforts are:
Baileys Trail System (Wayne National Forest)
Quantified Ventures structured outdoor recreation outcomes-based financing and a shared stewardship model that brought in more than $11 million in public and private financing to develop an 88-mile premier mountain biking trail system in Athens County, OH. Through increased visitation, the trail system has spurred more investment in the community and diversified and strengthened Southeast Ohio’s economy.
Velomont Trail and Vermont Huts System Financing (Green Mountain National Forest)
Quantified Ventures partnered with the Velomont Trail Collective, Vermont Huts Association, and the Trust for Public Land to fund a 485-mile mountain biking trail that stretches from Massachusetts to Canada and 30 new hut facilities supporting the trail. More than $3.5 million has been secured to date for the trail and hut network, which will traverse national forest, state, and private lands, conserving up to 214,000 acres of land for generations through sustainable recreation. The huts are being constructed by Vermont Youth Conservation Corps members in a novel workforce development program. The trail system will bring new visitation across Vermont, producing increases in sales taxes, hotel taxes, new jobs, and other tourism opportunities.
